Kullu May 20
Patients in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district faced severe inconvenience on Wednesday after medical stores remained closed in protest against the nationwide online sale of medicines. The shutdown was part of a nationwide call given by chemists’ associations opposing e-pharmacy operations.
At the Regional Hospital in Dhalpur, patients were seen struggling to obtain medicines, as several prescribed drugs were unavailable at the government-run pharmacy. With private medical stores also shut, many patients were forced to move from place to place in search of essential medicines.
Ritu Devi, who came from Bali Chowki in Mandi district, said her grandmother is admitted to the hospital, but the prescribed medicines were unavailable at the hospital pharmacy. She added that she visited multiple markets in Kullu but found all medical stores closed, causing significant difficulty.
Another patient from Lahaul Valley, Ram Pal, said he also faced problems as medicines prescribed by doctors were not available at the hospital pharmacy. He said when he tried to purchase medicines from outside, all medical stores were closed due to the strike. He urged authorities to ensure adequate availability of medicines in hospital pharmacies.
Sheetla Medical Store operator Jatin said medical shops were closed as part of the nationwide protest against online medicine sales. He alleged that medicines are being sold online without proper medical consultation and claimed that even some narcotic medicines are being made available through online platforms. He said the chemists’ community is demanding strict regulation of such practices.
District Kullu Chemists Association president Rishabh Kalia said all medical stores in the district remained shut in support of the nationwide protest. He alleged that online platforms are delivering medicines without adequate regulatory checks, increasing the risk of misuse of prescriptions, overuse of antibiotics, and easy access to narcotic drugs. He also warned of a rising threat of counterfeit medicines entering the supply chain.
